GoBilling - privacy statement

GoBilling - Privacy Statement

We respect and protect the privacy of those who visit or use our Web sites. If or when we collect information from you, we assure you it is used in accordance with leading industry privacy guidelines.

Philosophy and Practices We want you to be comfortable and confident when using our services and Web site. To maximize the value of our services, we may request information from you when you visit our Web site, purchase products or subscribe to our services. When we collect information from you, you are advised of what is being collected, by whom it is being collected, to whom it may be disclosed, and how it will be used. We identify the information that is necessary to fulfill your request. Whenever we ask for additional or optional information, we identify those fields appropriately so that you know what is required to provide the requested service.

Whenever you select a product or service, we request certain personally identifiable information, including your name, address, phone number, e-mail address and company name. We do not share your contact information with outside companies for their promotional use. We may, however, use this information to notify you about upcoming product upgrades and about special offers available to registered users.

Here is a description of the information we collect and how it is used:

Cookies. A "cookie" is a small piece of information that our Web site may provide to your browser while you are at our site. Products and services supply your browser with cookies that contain a unique identifier used to better understand Web site usage in the aggregate so that we know what areas of our site users prefer (e.g., based on the number of visits to those areas). You may receive additional cookies when you request a service through this site.

If you simply want to browse, you do not have to accept cookies from our site, although choosing not to accept cookies could limit your ability to use certain areas of the Web site. Should you decide, however, that you would like to request a service and you have modified your browser settings not to accept cookies, you will need to re-set your browser to accept the cookies that we send. Most browsers are defaulted to accept and maintain cookies.

When you use the Business Services Login for one of the GoBilling services, you will receive a cookie as part of the personal identification process. This cookie will be used to confirm your identity each time you wish to access one of our services. The cookie enables you to go from screen to screen without being repeatedly asked to authenticate your identity.

Web Beacons. Web beacons (also known as single-pixel or clear GIFs) are graphical imagejavascript:void(0)s that we may use to set and access cookies as described in the section Cookies. Web beacons allow us to determine which pages and features of our site are accessed by our users, as described in the Web Site and Server Usage Data Section. In this way we can determine what areas of our site are most useful to you. Web beacons are also used when we send you e-mail, as described in the section E-Mail Messaging.

Links to the Internet. Because GoBilling's services are "Internet enabled," this allows us to deliver products, services and information via the World Wide Web. In providing these services, we may sometimes link to Web sites on the Internet after you click on a link or a message within the GoBilling Web site. Links leading to the Internet are distinguished by a lightning-bolt icon. After clicking on one of those links, you will pass through an GoBilling server before being "re-directed" onto the Internet. This allows GoBilling to send you to the proper Web site even if the destination Web site has changed locations. We store which message you clicked on and its location within the software prior to linking you to the Internet. GoBilling's servers register the Web site you request from within the software. GoBilling does not register your surfing behavior after that point.

Web Site and Server Usage Data. Our Web site - as well as servers used to support Internet enabled services from within our software product - track usage data, including, for example, your IP address, your browser type and version, which pages you view, which page, if any, linked you to our site, and which link, if any, you follow off of our site. We use this data in the aggregate to better understand Web site and product activity to improve our offerings. We may also use this data to provide you a more personalized Web site experience, assistance with technical support questions, and to send you special offers, product and service updates, or other promotional materials that are relevant and tailored to your interests. If you do not wish to receive these offers or promotions, simply indicate your contact preferences during the registration process or contacting us. We do not share your information with outside companies for their promotional use. We do not track URLs that you type into your browser, nor do we track you across the Internet once you leave our site.

More on our general information practices:

Mandatory and Optional Information. We identify what information is necessary to fulfill your request. If you choose not to provide mandatory information, we will not be able to provide the service you are requesting.

Mail Messaging. When sending you e-mail we may use an image called a single pixel GIF, that allows us to format messages tailored to your computer's capabilities. We also use this technology to determine, in the aggregate, the number of people who open our e-mails. When you initiate a response by clicking on a link within an e-mail message, you are re-directed onto the internet. We then record your individual response to help us deliver information that is more relevant to your interests.

GoBilling or Subsidiaries. GoBilling and its subsidiaries may exchange customer data with each other to fulfill your request or to provide you with information about other products and services.

Service Providers. In some cases, we will use or work with service providers such as consultants, temporary workers, third party software developers, or outsourcers to complete a business process or provide a service on our behalf. For example, we may use service providers to deliver products, offer online software applications, or send e-mails. When we use service providers, we may need to share your personally identifiable information. Service providers are strictly prohibited from using your personally identifiable information for purposes other than to act on our behalf.

Service Alerts and Critical Notices. Although we respect and honor the privacy preferences you have expressed, we may nevertheless contact you to inform you of specific changes that may impact your ability to use this service or for other critical non-marketing purposes, such as bug alerts. We may also contact you to respond to your specific requests or to clarify the order information you provided to us.

Surveys. From time to time, we may offer you the option to participate in contests, sweepstakes, or surveys. If you would like to participate, we may ask you for contact information, preferences, or other information. This information may be used to conduct research, improve our offerings, or award benefits.

Newsletters. We provide you the opportunity to subscribe to e-mail newsletters and other e-mail communications. You may unsubscribe by following the instructions provided in each e-mail newsletter.

Submitting Feedback. Using our Web site, you can ask us questions and share comments with us. Through our Feedback form, we provide you a chance to send specific questions or comments and we request, at your option, a name and e-mail address, so that we may respond to your inquiry. All submissions through this form are treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary, and may be published or used by GoBilling, without your personal information, for other purposes.

Changes to Our Privacy Policy. If we plan to make significant changes to any of our privacy policies or practices with respect to how we use personally identifiable information, we'll post those changes to the gobilling.com Web site 30 days before they take effect.

Legal Disclosures. In some cases we may be required to disclose certain information to comply with a legal process, such as a court order, subpoena, search warrant, or law enforcement request.

We work to protect your personally identifiable information from loss, misuse, or unauthorized alteration.

We employ industry recognized security safeguards to help protect the personally identifiable information that you have provided to us from loss, misuse, or unauthorized alteration. Whenever we prompt you to transmit sensitive information, such as a credit card number, to us through our products or services, we support encryption of your data as it is transmitted to us.

We work to protect personally identifiable information stored on the site's servers from unauthorized access using industry standard computer security products, such as firewalls, as well as carefully developed security procedures and practices. All employees must review and sign a written statement of these practices, which include limiting access to sensitive information to only those employees who require such information and enforcing strict password protocols for all employees. We use both internal and external resources to review the adequacy of our security measures on a regular basis.

We use this information to fulfill your order and to give you confirmation that the order has been processed and shipped. We also may use this information to notify you about additional GoBilling's services or products, or those of our partners, that we believe may be of interest to you. We do not share your contact information with outside companies for their promotional use. If you do not wish to receive additional product and service information, simply indicate your contact preferences during the information collection process or contact us. Payment information is used only to provide payment for the products you've ordered. We do not share your information with third parties except as required to process your payment for the products you have ordered.

Automatic Product Updates. GoBilling works year-round to make our software and interfaces better. From time to time, we place niotices of updates or improvements on our Web site for customers. An update might include a timesaving new feature, minor repairs to keep software running smoothly, or timely information relevant to customers' businesses.

Startup Interview/Registration: We collect your company contact information, which we use to contact you regarding the service. We may use your contact information to alert you regarding product changes, upgrades, and other special offers. To opt out simply indicate your preference at the time of registration, or contact us.

We also collect information about your business, such as your industry, the number of employees you have, the type of ownership structure of your business, and outstanding loans your business may have. We use this information to customize the Chart of Accounts so that it accurately tracks the kind of activity your business will have, such as loan payments or tax filings. Lastly, we ask you to setup a Login Name, Password and Challenge Questions for use in logging in to GoBilling's website. Your password is encrypted on our servers, and no GoBilling employee has access to it. GoBilling uses the Business Services Login process to simplify your access to this and our other services and to protect your information from unauthorized access.

General Product Use: No financial information you enter when using the GoBilling website will be used or shared except as required to fulfill a service you requested or to diagnose and solve a customer data problem.

Preferences: In this section of the product your company name and contact information are stored and modifiable. This information is used in the communications and forms you generate: for example, the invoices, statements and other information that you send to your customers.

Billing/Subscription: We collect your credit card information or information about your bank account, including the account number, and bank address, solely for the use of billing you for service.

Additionally, GoBilling uses its server logs to gather usage information. This allows us to better understand product performance, activity, and utilization. The information is used in the aggregate to improve the product. We also evaluate individual log files to diagnose problems with the product and to improve its performance.

GoBilling takes many precautions to safeguard your company information. You must access our product through a secure connection, protecting your information as it travels over the Internet. Also, our servers are backed up nightly, and those backups are stored remotely so that your information is safer in the event of a natural disaster.

Service Center The Service Center provides one location where you can log in for services, navigate to other services, maintain access and account information, set up subscriptions and payment methods, and receive notices and alerts for services you have subscribed to. If you wish to access the Service Center we ask you to use the Business Services Login process. A company and user account will be created with your company name, user name, e-mail, address, phone and fax numbers. In addition to establishing your Service Center account, we may use this information to notify you about upcoming product upgrades and about special offers we make available to Service Center users for this or other Products or services or those of our partners. If you do not wish to receive notification of future product upgrades or be eligible for special offers, you may opt out during the information collection process or by contacting us. We gather information from you at various times during your use of the Service Center. No financial information you enter when using Service Center will be shared except as required to fulfill a service you request. Below we detail the point at which we take the information, what information we gather and how we use the information:

Management Tools: This feature allows company administrators to update company and user information such as company name, login name, address, phone number, or e-mail, as well as add or delete users and specify user rights. User login name and e-mail address are used to notify the user of changes in access or use rights. For example, when requesting access for a new user, you will be asked to provide the e-mail address of the new user. The e-mail address will be used to send an e-mail invitation to the new user with instructions on how to access the GoBilling Service Center.

Subscription and Payment Information: This feature allows you to view and update services that you currently subscribe to. It also allows you to set up payment methods for these services or services you may be interested in subscribing to. When you subscribe to a new service, your company name and e-mail address may be provided to the service you're requesting. Credit card information is used only to provide payment for the services you have subscribed to. We do not share your credit card information with third parties except as required to provide payment for the services you have subscribed to.

Currently there are two methods of receiving payment with Online Billing: PayPal and a Merchant Account Service (MAS). Please see the Merchant Account section of this statement for more details. For PayPal, both you and your customers must apply for an account with PayPal. The information collected during the PayPal registration process is governed by the PayPal privacy policy and will be used to facilitate online payments. GoBilling shares invoice and/or statement data with PayPal and/or MAS partners, as necessary to fulfill the service. Forms enabled for payment may also include a link to a web site that your customers will access to pay your invoices.

The information collected about your customers through the use of the Online Billing service will be used in the aggregate to help us evaluate and improve the service. This information may also be used for customer support reasons when a problem is detected and your involvement is needed to help fix the service.

Technical Support and Customer Service

Technical Support Plan Enrollment. Support Plans may be purchased directly from our Web site. We collect your name, address, e-mail, telephone number, telephone number, and payment information. We use this information to register you with the support plan that you have selected. We may use this information to contact you for renewals of your support plan, newsletters or other marketing purposes.

Support Center. If you are a registered member of this network, we ask you to log in using your Business Services Login. Within this area, you may submit electronic incidents, chat online with a support engineer, review your case history, update your name, business name, address, phone number, e-mail address, fax number, subscribe/unsubscribe to the e-mail bulletin, submit feedback, and review online newsletters and other tips.To submit a question, we will require you to provide certain information about your product, such as version or platform. We will use this information to research and respond to your issue.

Customer Service Online Chat. We offer you the opportunity to chat online with our sales and service advisors. When ordering or registering products through our online chat service, we ask for your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address to process your order. On occasion, we may contact you with special offers that may interest you. If you do not wish to receive such communications, simply indicate your contact preferences at the time you place the order or contact us. Credit card information is used only to provide payment for the products you have ordered. We do not share credit card information with third parties except as required to process your payment.

Business Services Login Our products and services may use the Business Services Login process. During the sign-up process, we request an e-mail address, password, and a challenge question and answer. The information you give us is used to provide you a single login that can be used to verify your identity and grant you access to GoBilling's products and services. The login process has been created to make regular use of our services easier for you and to prevent unauthorized access to your databse information or settings.

Last Updated: May 25, 2003